Innholdsfortegnelse for April/May 2022 Vol. 24 Issue 2 i Gripped: The Climbing Magazine

On the few occasions when I’ve found myself staring up at a falling piece of rock that could kill me, I’ve been lucky enough to move in the direction it wasn’t. On the east face of Mount Chephren close to the Columbia Icefield, my partner’s rope caught on a microwave-sized flake that came loose when he hauled up. I fell away to the left making sure not to weight the slung block I had for an anchor. While I was lucky to escape a sure-bet pummelling, my sling was not and it was left cut to pieces. That was not long after climbing the north face of Edith Cavell near Jasper where my partner and I spent hours dodging rocks released from a rapidly melting snow slope slammed by a…

Canadian Quentin Roberts spent his winter enjoying good conditions in Patagonia’s summer. We touched base with him as he made his way back north. What was the atmosphere throughout your stay? It has been a wild season in El Chaltén. We’ve had extremely dry conditions and a decent amount of good weather over the past two months. The community here is amazing, and the rescues have been an impressive effort by everyone involved. Of course, the thoughts of our lost friends weigh heavy on our minds. The atmosphere in Patagonia is always intense, and it can be a terrifying place. This season feels especially intense, but it is not the first or last time that incredible climbers will die in these mountains. Everybody who comes to climb here must realize…

The Alpine Club of Canada is the country’s leading operator of backcountry huts from coast to coast. There are dozens of world-class huts in some of North America’s most pristine and remote areas, and some of them are must-visits if you’re hoping for some away-from-the-beaten-path climbing. Bon Echo Hut Bon Echo has been a popular Ontario rock climbing destination for decades. Many generations of climbers have based themselves in the hut over the years. Operated by the Toronto Section of the Alpine Club of Canada, a boat is required to access the hut and climbs and to ferry back to your vehicle. The hut is a nice location to mingle and meet other climbers. The hut and climbing are located around 300 kilometres northeast of Toronto on the east side…

“We arrived at the Move pitch in the early afternoon,” says South African climber Danford Jooste, who was with Bronwyn Hodgins on her successful ascent of Golden Gate in 2020. “We set up our portaledge and waited four or five hours for sun to get off the wall before trying it.” Bronwyn had a lot on her mind. There are 34 pitches on the El Capitan free route, including four 5.13- pitches all found in the top half of the route. There’s also lots of other climbing to give pause to an aspiring El Capitan free climber: The 5.11 offwidth crack, the slick slab on Freeblast, and a dozen more 5.12 pitches. The climb requires a full range of skills from hard slab climbing to offwidths, finger cracks and even…

Community. As members of Canada’s climbing community, we celebrate our shared passion. To belong to a community means connecting with others, including some we never meet in person. Or even climb with. Although I never had the opportunity to climb a mountain with Glen Boles, I consider myself truly fortunate to have come to know him in his later years. I was even lucky one summer to join him and several other Alpine Club of Canada members for a four-day trip to a backcountry hut in Jasper. Soft spoken, polite and genuinely cheerful, his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm even though his aging body meant his climbing years were behind him. When Boles died on January 13 at the age of 87, he left behind an impressive climbing legacy. He stood…

Jean-Philippe Bélanger, Yan Mongrain and Charles Roberge established three new routes up to 170 metres using a helicopter around 120 kilometres north of Sept-Îles at Haute-Moisie not far from the border of Quebec and N.L. Their first objective was a three-pitch climb 500 metres south of camp. On the last pitch, they spotted four wolves that had noticed the noise of the climbers. They called the 180-metre route Patte Blanche WI5. The following day, they climbed a new route they called La Tanière, a 170-metre WI5. On their fourth day, they climbed the most intimidating route, which followed three pitches of steep, three-dimensional ice through roofs and along pillars. Bélanger, Mongrain and Roberge called it Maïkan, which means to wolf in local Indigenous languages, a 150-metre WI6+.—Gripped…

Edelrid Salathe $140 At only 200 grams, this is one of the lightest new helmets available for sport climbers. In 2022, there’s no reason to not be wearing one on any angle of rock, from slab to overhangs. Head injuries are common and happen because of rockfall and bad falls. The Salathe has a strong outer shell that will protect you from side, top, front and rear impacts. The large air vents makes this a top choice for summer cragging. The strap is not invasive and easy to connect/unclip with one hand. Highly recommended. Sterling IonR BiColor $410 Sport climbing requires a good rope because you’re going to likely be taking a lot of falls that generate a lot of force. This easy-to-handle mid-range rope is light and durable. It’s…

Arc’teryx Arakys Approach Shoe $150 A good pair of approach shoes go a long way when living on the road. You don’t want to have too much footwear that clutters the van, so having one do-it-all style is a must. The Arakys, which only weigh 270 grams, will get you to the base of a multi-pitch, are easy to slide on and off at the crag and look stylish at the pub. We can’t think of a better shoe to have with you this summer. Jetboil Flash Cooking System 2.0 $140 Cooking food and warming up water for hot drinks are multi-times-a-day tasks for everyone on the road. This system can boil water in 100 seconds, so you don’t have to wait around between sessions for long. This is a…

The Sheriff’s Badge is one of Squamish’s most recognizable landmark walls. It’s the large cliff on The Chief between the south and north gully and is discernable by the large white mark. Some climbers say the white mark looks like a witch riding a broom stick, but the majority agrees that it looks like a sheriff’s badge, so the name has stuck. There are several climbs that tend to be more difficult than those found on nearby walls. To the left is the world-famous Angel’s Crest and the popular Daily Planet 5.12 follows a line straight up. Blazing Saddles was first climbed in 1982 by Perry Beckham, Mike Beaubien and John Simpson. It’s a classic 5.10 crack on the left edge of the Terrace, the ramp that accesses Daily Planet.…

One year ago, most of Canada was under travel restrictions due to the pandemic but it looks like this spring will be a return to normal for those looking to road-trip to their favourite climbing destinations. We live in a big country, with 7,300 kilometres of road separating crags on Vancouver Island to those in Newfoundland. Between are thousands of single-pitch climbs, some requiring a short hike, and some are hours from parking. They all make for excellent places to visit, whether for a weekend visit or for a longer work-a-project stay. Road-tripping and rock climbing have always gone hand in hand. Since the start of technical rock climbing in Canada, climbers have spent endless hours scheming and acquiring the required equipment necessary to throw themselves at big and small…

Sicily has world-class climbing on near-perfect limestone and, for those who can make it, a trip there is recommended. There are big wall multi-pitch lines, amazing sport crags and a few fun boulder problems. The climbing can feel adventurous or very gym-like depending on what you’re looking for. The island has thousands of years of interesting history to take in on rest days. The climbing is mostly found along the eastern and northern coasts. Of all the islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily is the largest, with a population of five million people, mostly located around the capital of Palermo. The 3,357-metre-high Mount Etna is one of the tallest active volcanoes in Europe. The country of Italy is often said to look like a foot kicking a ball when seen…

Metolius Magnum $480 The Magnum has three panels connected with angled hinges to make for a sizeable landing area on short and tall problems. The sandwiched foam is constructed in a way to maximize fall absorption. There are beefy shoe-wipe carpets to clean the shoes before engaging. The aluminum buckles will last for countless sessions and the comfortable shoulder straps make this one of the most resilient pads on the market. There’s also a an outer stash pocket and large inner pocket for shoes and your phone. The weight is evenly distributed, which is helpful on those long hikes. This is a smart choice to save your body. MEC Chalkalot Bouldering Bucket $25 If you’re going to spend time in a bouldering field this summer then you need to have…